The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-01-27
ODD EXPERIENCES.
eoME RATHER FUNNY STORIES TOLD
BY PROMINENT CLERGYMEN.

OOMC mn TEN TJlNlNI . OThGO 'C-D
BY PROMINENT CLERGYMEN.
A Restless Boy in the Gallery-An Eng
lish Pug Dog in the AuditOrium-Ex-
hibition of Religious Zeal Among the
Young Folks.
"I had an odd experience last Sunday"
said one of the most prominent clergymen
In the city. 81 was in the midst of my
sermon. thoroughly warmed to the subjec5,
and was talking first to the people on the
main floor, and then to those in the gallery,
when l noticed directly in front of me a
restless, chubby boy who insisted in leaning
over the gallery rail. Occasionally he
would got one leg up as though he were
going to climb over, and his mamma would
make clutch at him and put him down
with bounce on the seat beside her. In
two minutes the boy would be again in his
favorite attitude Of looking down on the
people below.
'sAn undercurrent of my thought took
up the possibility of the boy toppling over
and his mother clutching at him, grasping
one foot and tugging with might and main
to drag him back, while the fat man behind
her exerted himself in assisting her to main
tain her own equilibrium. This stubborn
undercurrent worked persistently at this
spectacle until it came to the surface in
climax that set me laughing in the midst of
my sermon. OF course nothing of the kind
occurred. My secondary line of thought
had simply taken up the merest suggestion
OF a possibility and worked forward to a
ridiculous climax.
A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE.
CDR. Patterson told me on one occasion of
a sim experience of his own. He was
preac ing very earnest discourse and was
carrying his congregation with him, when
an English pug dog crossed the line Of his
vision. The dog attracted the attention of
no one in the auditorium, and there was
no reason why it should have attracted the
attention of the preacher, but the thought
came to him that the dog had its tail curled
about as tight as circumstances would per-
init. Then came the question if the tail
was curled once more what would happen
Would it not be possible to curl the tail so
tight as TO lift the hinder parts of the dog
and start him walking on his fore feet with
his tail in the air? All the time he had
been going on with his sermon, but when
this odd conceit of giving the dogs tail an
extra curl came over him he burst into a
horse laugh
"The interruption came not only in the
middle of proposition, but in the middle of
D sentence. He broke off without ceremony
into a laugh that startled himself quite as
much as the congregation. Once started he
found it very difficult to stop, and although
he used his handkerchief and made a pre-
taOca pf haNyi Of Opuobi11og
still he laughed until the tears came Even
when he started again on his sermon he
found great difficulty in getting away from
this idea of that dogs tail, and several
times his voice trembled and he had to
shake himself as one in dream.
AN EXHIBITION OF ZEAL.
"Preachers have odd experiences of
which they say very little, " said another
minister. "When 1 instituted my Sunday
evening meetings I was very much gratifed
at the large attendance of young people.
attributed the large audience, of course,
TO interest in religious services and took
all the young ladies and young gentlemen
into my heart and praised them without
stint for their exhibition of zeal One night
as I announced the hymn, Il Need Thee
Every Hour, distinctly saw young lady
In one of the front seats nudge young gem
tleman at her side. Three seats back | saw
young gentleman nudge young lady,
and five seats back saw another gentle
man nudge a young lady. This set me to
thinking, and the next Sunday night gave
out the hymn with my eyes wide open, and
as I uttered the words 4 Need Thee Every
Hour, l saw several people nudge several
other people, and my notions of the zeal of
these young ladies and gentlemen changed
They came to church to be in each others
company"
"To change the subject, said a young
man who had been a somewhat embarrassed
listener to the last remark, ~ know a young
lady who is greatly misunderstood because
she is always carrying ordinary incidents or
accidents in life to absurd or ridiculous eli
makes. If she sees man slip on banana
peel, recover himself and give the peel vi
cious kick over the sidewalk she supposes q
ease in which the man falls, grabs at the
coat tail of the man in front, and he grabs
at another coat tail of a man in front, and
that man grabs frantically at the bonnet Of
lady in front, and finally they all tumble
on the sidewalk; then when her Imagination
has played this trick she bursts out laugh |
ing wherever she happens to be, and people !
look at her in wonder. They cannot under |
stand why lady should go into paroxysm !
of laughter or go snickering along the street, !
but to her the supposition is as plain as
reality. Inter Ocean "Curbstone Cray. /,
oy,s